To See Thee More Clearly...

I recently received an eye exam in order to get an updated prescription.  My glasses have been broken for some time and  I needed desperately to get a new pair.  Unfortunately my prescription was a tad  outdated so I had to go through the process of sitting in that dreaded chair.
The eye exam is a funny thing because if you wanted, you could be totally dishonest.  I mean, you are in the room in more than ample time to memorize that number/letter chart they make you read before the doctor ever arrives.  But being an adult I escaped the temptation to do so, because I knew I needed to see better.  So I went though this process of them puffing air in my eye (i still think there has to be a better way to do whatever they are doing with that test), watching the hot air balloon, and putting those big goofy glasses on to look at the wall in front of me.  Long story short, I once was blind, but now I see.
I have always been one to pursue spiritual growth.  I want my sight to improve.  I want see things more clearly, starting with the scriptures.  In order to do this I have to put myself through some self-examination.  Lets face it, our prescription (they way we are used to seeing things) gets outdated.  And although we could get by with it, we are really not seeing things absolutely clear.  And why would we want anything else?
Remember that stage in the eye exam when your doctor asks, "Which is better...1..or 2?  Yeah, it's that big goofy glasses part.  This is confusing because I never know what I am supposed to be seeing.  I am always thinking, "I hope that's the right answer."  But all he is doing is changing lenses.  Doing this, he/she attempts to discover your prescription to get you the right pair of lenses.  Without proper lenses, the way we see is tainted.  And without the proper spiritual lens, our spiritual sight is as well.
What lens do you read God's Word from?  I care not to expose all the lenses there are because that would be exhausting.  But if we approach it wrongly, we come out with a wrong conclusion.  There are all sorts of lenses...cultural, traditional, denominational, lenses of prejudice, and etc.  There are attitudes we carry that can turn into lenses.  All of which, if we are not careful taint the way we read the scriptures, and at worst, taint the way we see God (which always leads to tainting the way we communicate Him with those in need).  How dangerous is that?
So I am challenged in examining myself even before I read.  Before I dive into my learning I try to always clear my head, subject myself to some personal testing of sorts.  I want to understand God the way He intended for humanity, which I know will lead to me loving Him like He intended.
So what lenses are you searching and looking through?  May they be the most accurate prescription for the clearest result.